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Rep. Black Blasts Farook Family Attorney’s Defense of Radical Islam

December 4, 2015

Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06) responded to outrageous statements made at a press conference by David Chelsey, attorney for the family of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook. At a press conference, Chelsey remarked that “When an incident happens like this, when a Christian goes to shoot up a Planned Parenthood, or an extreme Catholic goes and bombs an abortion clinic , all the headlines don’t say ‘extremist radical Christian’ ‘Christian catholic’ … just like right now every headline is saying ‘Muslim’ and attaching Muslim to it.” Chelsey also stated “We need to protect the Muslim community” and added that the attack “could be totally work related,” despite the fact that the FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. Black released the following statement:

“The statements made at this press conference were preposterous and offensive. Instead of defending radical Islam, offering excuses, and impugning other religious faiths that are in no way connected to this terrorist attack, the family attorney should offer a sincere apology for the evil acts of Syed Farook – and then stop speaking. There is simply nothing else to say. This is not a platform for Mr. Chelsey to spout off political platitudes, it is an investigation into the most deadly terrorist attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. While this may be uncomfortable for Mr. Chelsey, the truth is that radical, violent Islam remains the single greatest threat to the American way of life. Rather than calls to ‘protect the Muslim community,’ we need a call – and a plan from this President – to protect the American people,” said Congressman Diane Black.

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Congressman Diane Black represents Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District. She has been a registered nurse for more than 40 years and serves on the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees